This article will be one of several, detailing the intricacies of parenting premature children. Personal experience and insight, coupled with practical research will be offered to support caregivers, families and friends of preemies.
Each year, more than 500,000 babies are born prematurely, and by definition, a birth before 37 weeks gestation is considered to be premature. Prematurity can result in a host of medical ailments, including breathing problems as well as debilitating mental and physical impairments. What is most surprising to new parents and families is just how tiny preemie babies are; and even newborn-sized clothing usually dwarfs them (caring for micro-preemies will be covered in part 2 of this series). And not surprisingly, even the healthiest babies born prematurely require extensive testing and evaluations prior to discharge.
Babies can be placed into a hospital's NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) for a variety of reasons, including general poor health or of course, due to prematurity. Due to the delicate and precarious state of a premature baby, contact is minimized for their safety. Some of the measures taken during baby’s time in the NICU seem, well, scary. Here are some of the experiences that are typical of a NICU patient:
- Constant monitoring of vitals; this involves cumbersome equipment, yards of tubing and loud monitors affixed to the baby at all times (at least initially).
- Frequent visits and consultations by a neonatology team
- Frequent updates on oxygen saturation (because lungs are not fully developed), heart rate and food intake; this data is used to determine trends on progress or remedial care.
- Tube feeding, if the baby is born very prematurely. Feedings are scrupulously measured by your baby's medical team.
- Daily weight checks for baby, to determine progress and food absorption. Sometimes, certain weights dictate placement in NICU (such as lower-risk ward).
- A myriad of tests, to include: EKG (to determine of the heart is fully formed or has any defects), hearing and vision tests (because organs are not fully formed), ultrasounds (to view the brain for bleeding and other organs for development).
- I.V. lines and re-insertions during the visit; the I.V. delivers nutrients and keeps baby hydrated and healthy. Note that some of the placements are in odd places, such as baby's scalp.
- Interaction with physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and technicians; all are key members in your baby's care.
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